Grade 7 Unit 1 Reading Comprehension Practice

Name: ______Date: ______

Grade 7 Unit 1 Reading Comprehension Practice

Use this table to score questions 1-5 after you have completed this reading comprehension practice exercise.

Declaration of Independence by W.M. Akers

Used with permission by ReadWorks.org

Read the passage. Then answer questions 1 through 6.

1There are a few pieces of the Declaration of Independence which most Americans know by heart. "When in the course of human events…," "…all men are created equal," "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness," are pieces of a philosophy that explain the very foundation of the American government. But a close reading of the most important document in the early history of the United States can tell us more about what kind of government the founding fathers wanted. The entire history of the colonies is contained in its 1300 words.

2In a way, the Declaration of Independence is like a break‐up letter, or an email sent to a boss after a long time working a hated job. "I quit!" it says. "And here's why." The Declaration is an interesting document to read, even more than two centuries after it was written, and it is only lightly concerned with philosophy. Most of it is given over to practical matters—everyday concerns that would have more meaning to ordinary people than any longwinded explanations of governmental philosophy.

3The intellectual foundation of the Declaration is explained in just a few sentences in the second paragraph. "All men are created equal," writes author Thomas Jefferson. Everyone has basic rights that cannot be taken away, including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Any government that does not give its people these basic rights does not deserve to exist. Perhaps the most revolutionary idea is that the government’s power comes "from the consent of the governed." To make such a statement to England's King George III, who believed that his right to rule came from God, is quite a bold move.

4In the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson presents a list of complaints. Many of these dozens of complaints are general. For example, he charges the king with "imposing Taxes on us without our Consent." But most of the complaints are very specific, and give insight into the sort of things bothering the Patriots in 1776.

5In one of the first complaints, the king is accused of holding legislative meetings "at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant" from their ordinary locations. This is a reference to specific occasions in Massachusetts and Virginia where regular legislative meetings had grown so raucous, the English governors began to fear for their safety. The meeting places were changed to locations so inconvenient that most of the angry lawmakers could not make the journey. If they did make the long trip, they would be too tired to argue with unjust decision making. Jefferson explains in the Declaration that the king moved these public meetings around so that the governors would be worn out and tricked into complying with the king’s measures.

6The right for people to watch their government in action has been an important part of American democracy ever since. This is why local city council meetings are generally open to the public, and why even small government decisions—the altering of a school district, for instance—must be preceded by a public hearing. When a citizen goes to speak at such a hearing, they are following in the footsteps of the colonists who demanded that public meetings be held in convenient locations.

7 Only at the end of Jefferson's list does the full extent of his rage shine through. He accuses the king of "waging War against us," saying that "he has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of the people."

8Although a written document, the Declaration of Independence was intended to be read aloud throughout the colonies as a way of encouraging frustrated citizens to rebellion against their king. For this reason, it makes sense that it starts slowly, introducing the intellectual argument calmly, before steadily rising to a fever of rage and indignation. It is not hard to imagine a speaker in Boston or Philadelphia reading this list in front of a crowd. Even those listeners unmoved by the opening passages—the famous ones—would be excited by the more indignant passages towards the end.

9 The Declaration of Independence was not solely meant to serve as a nation's founding document. It was to be used to raise an army, to protect a rebellion that had just barely begun.

Write the letter of the correct answer on the line next to each question.

______1. What does the passage mostly describe?

1. the impact of the Declaration of Independence on the war efforts of the American colonists
2. the organization of the Declaration of Independence and the historical context in which it was written
3. the reaction of the British monarchy to the Declaration of Independence
4. the French and Indian War and its impact on the relationship between the colonists and the British monarchy

______2. Thomas Jefferson was not afraid to make daring statements in the Declaration of Independence. What evidence from the text best supports this conclusion?

1. Jefferson stated that a government’s power derives “from the consent of the governed.”
2. Jefferson began the Declaration of Independence with an intellectual argument, then listed specific bureaucratic complaints.
3. Jefferson claimed that public meetings were being moved around on purpose.
4. Jefferson complained about the presence of the king’s soldiers in the colonies.

______3. How did Thomas Jefferson intend for the colonists to feel after hearing the Declaration of Independence read aloud?

1. indifferent and bored
2. outraged and eager to act
3. sympathetic and guilty
4. disappointed and hopeless

______4. When Thomas Jefferson stated that the government’s power comes “from the consent of the governed,” he meant that . . .

1. a government is only powerful if it has complete control over its people
2. a government is only powerful if people of different social classes are represented by governors
3. a government is only powerful if its people agree to let it govern them
4. a government is only powerful if some of its people disagree with its ruling methods

______5. As used in the following sentence from paragraph 4, the word “raucous” most nearly means . . .

“This is a reference to specific occasions in Massachusetts and Virginia where regular legislative meetings had grown so raucous, the English governors began to fear for their safety.”

1. disorderly
2. productive
3. quiet
4. spirited

Answer question 6 in the space provided below.

ANSWER KEY

Write the letter of the correct answer on the line next to each question.

______1. What does the passage mostly describe?

1. the impact of the Declaration of Independence on the war efforts of the American colonists
2. the organization of the Declaration of Independence and the historical context in which it was written
3. the reaction of the British monarchy to the Declaration of Independence
4. the French and Indian War and its impact on the relationship between the colonists and the British monarchy

EXPLANATION: This question requires that students comprehend the entire text and determine the central idea of the text. Students need to understand that by describing the different features of the Declaration of Independence, the author is describing how it is organized. The passage begins by describing how the Declaration of Independence opens and continues to summarize the different aspects of the Declaration. While the author of the passage does allude to choices A and C, he does not explicitly describe either of these choices. Choice D is not mentioned anywhere in this passage. To help students understand why choice B is correct, review paragraphs 2, 4, and 7, which explain the organization of the Declaration of Independence. Review paragraphs 5 and 8 to discuss the concept of historical context presented in choice B.

______2. Thomas Jefferson was not afraid to make daring statements in the Declaration of Independence. What evidence from the text best supports this conclusion?

1. Jefferson stated that a government’s power derives “from the consent of the governed.”
2. Jefferson began the Declaration of Independence with an intellectual argument, then listed specific bureaucratic complaints.
3. Jefferson claimed that public meetings were being moved around on purpose.
4. Jefferson complained about the presence of the king’s soldiers in the colonies.

EXPLANATION: This question requires that students identify the best piece of evidence to support a conclusion. While choice B, C, and D are all true, choice A best supports the conclusion that Jefferson was not afraid to make daring statements. The author makes this clear at the end of paragraph 3, when he explains that the claim that the government’s power comes from the consent of the governed “is quite a bold move.” Direct students to this particular line of the text and stress the importance of close reading. When reviewing this question with students, ask them to explain why choices B, C, and D do not support the conclusion as well as choice A does.

______3. How did Thomas Jefferson intend for the colonists to feel after hearing the Declaration of Independence read aloud?

1. indifferent and bored
2. outraged and eager to act
3. sympathetic and guilty
4. disappointed and hopeless

EXPLANATION: This question requires close attention to the text. The words “rage,” “indignation,” and “indignant” all appear in paragraphs 8 and 9, suggesting that the Declaration was meant to incite colonists to act. When reviewing this question with students, perform a close reading of paragraphs 8 and 9. Have students circle words and phrases that support answer choice B.

______4. When Thomas Jefferson stated that the government’s power comes “from the consent of the governed,” he meant that . . .

1. a government is only powerful if it has complete control over its people
2. a government is only powerful if people of different social classes are represented by governors
3. a government is only powerful if its people agree to let it govern them
4. a government is only powerful if some of its people disagree with its ruling methods

EXPLANATION: This question requires students to use context clues to determine the meaning of the word “consent.” Direct students’ attention to the last two sentences of paragraph 3. Explain that if King George III believed his right to rule came from God, then the right to rule coming from the consent of the governed must be the opposite. This means that the right to rule comes from man. From there, students can deduce the meaning of the word “consent.”

______5. As used in the following sentence from paragraph 4, the word “raucous” most nearly means . . .

“This is a reference to specific occasions in Massachusetts and Virginia where regular legislative meetings had grown so raucous, the English governors began to fear for their safety.”

1. disorderly
2. productive
3. quiet
4. spirited

EXPLANATION: This question requires students to use context clues to determine the meaning of the word “raucous.” Point out to students that if “English governors began to fear for their safety,” the meetings would not be productive (B) or quiet (C). Students might choose choice D. To explain why choice A is a better answer, point out that “spirited” generally has a positive connotation and does not give off a sense of danger, while “disorderly” does.

Answer question 6 in the space provided below.

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